Research Overview

According to the United Nations, global population is estimated to reach 8.1 billion in 2025 and the subsequent economic growth to cater to the demands of this growing population will push the stress levels of the water resources to the extreme limit. The US Intelligence Community Assessment of Global Water Security has also predicted that the global water requirements will exceed the sustainable water supplies by 20-30 % by 2025. Thus the depletion of water resources could become the main limitation factor for the expansion of industrial corridors and special economic zones. Additionally, technological challenges to efficiently treat the pollutants from the industrial effluents, and the costs associated with the industrial wastewater treatment limit the adoption of the conventional waste water technologies which can have negative impact on human health and environment.

It is therefore necessary to treat industrial wastewater sustainably in order to adhere to the Zero Liquid Discharge guidelines or to enable the effective reuse of treated effluents. It is also important to make use of sustainable industrial wastewater treatment technologies that can be easily retrofitted into the existing wastewater treatment plants. The use of such technologies enables the stakeholder to reduce indirect water costs, and other water related legal costs. The advent of technological advancements in electro-chemical oxidation and membrane processes paves way for an efficient route to treat industrial wastewater in an economical and a sustainable manner.